We are a group of civil society activists and researchers who are concerned about public transportation in Hyderabad. We want a mass rapid transit system that includes the buses, trains (MMTS/Metro), sidewalks and cycle paths. But the proposed elevated metro will not meet these objectives.

Wednesday, June 29, 2011

HYDERABAD: Even before civil works could begin, metro rail has hit a roadblock at Chadarghat. According to sources, Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen(MIM) brought pressure on the GHMC to stop acquiring properties it had identified on the 2-km stretch between Mahatma Gandhi Central Bus Station (Imliban) and Malakpet.

The GHMC has identified 67 buildings for takeover but it could get control of only five of them till date. The acquisition process came to a standstill five months ago.

The property owners said that the GHMC had offered to pay them much less than the market value, hence they declined to part with their buildings. They say that most of the buildings are commercial in nature and form the only source of income for them. Read the full news item in the Times of India, Hyderabad (29 June 2011) at -

Tuesday, June 28, 2011

While American cities are synchronizing green lights to improve traffic flow and offering apps to help drivers find parking, many European cities are doing the opposite: creating environments openly hostile to cars. The methods vary, but the mission is clear — to make car use expensive and just plain miserable enough to tilt drivers toward more environmentally friendly modes of transportation. Cities including Vienna to Munich and Copenhagen have closed vast swaths of streets to car traffic. Barcelona and Paris have had car lanes eroded by popular bike-sharing programs. Drivers in London and Stockholm pay hefty congestion charges just for entering the heart of the city.

Monday, June 27, 2011

A well-written piece in the Times of India (27 June 2011) on some of the impending perils of the elevated metro rail in Hyderabad.

best regards,

C.R

Hyderabad: Is the government suffering from vision impairment? Buried in a sea of files is a crucial document that is curiously not visible to the powers that be. A detailed project report submitted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, the original consultant of theHyderabadmetro project, states clearly that the Secunderabad-Hi-Tec City corridor is "not feasible as a fully elevated corridor from engineering point of view due to steep gradients, large number of ups and downs along the alignment and presence of flyovers on the route''.

The vision problem is not limited to the ignored DMRC recommendation alone. The government and metro rail authorities are also unable to visualise 70-feet tall pillars, 11-feet in diameter standing right in the middle of busy junctions on this stretch holding the metro rail track, even as the traffic would crawl in its shadow, manoeuvring its way around the towering pillars. Worse, despite the government's tall claims, the metro rail is not going to ease traffic congestion. Why? Well, the answer lies in a government order itself issued a couple of months ago which gave the developer, L&T, the freedom to levy a `premium' ticket rate on peak hour commuters, defying the very concept of `affordable public transport'.

Friday, June 24, 2011

No transparency, crucial documents not made public, serious damage to city's heritage. Still, the AP Chief Minister, Mr. N. Kiran Kumar Reddy says he is determined to take up the Hyderabad Metro Rail project "at any cost". He said that the project would be built irrespective of opposition from certain quarters. “Some parties are trying to stall the project, but we have to take measures to counter them,” he said yesterday (23June2011) in the "Education Fortnight" programme in the old city. He further appealed to Congress workers to help in building this project.

Strange seems to be the ways of the AP government!

I hope the TRS chief, Shri K. Chandrasekhar Rao, who launched a blistering attack on this project the other day in Sultar Bazaar, will challenge the chief minister for an open debate on this project.

Tuesday, June 21, 2011

Metro set to steamroll heritage

Deccan Chronicle, Hyderabad, 21 June 2011

June 20: The city’s iconic Cyber Tower has been the backdrop for many Tollywood songs but with the Hyderabad Metro Rail Project set to redraw the city’s skyline, the landmark building is set to have an obstructed view. The 30-75 feet high Metro corridor will run across the existing over-bridge in front of Cyber Tower.

Like the Cyber Tower, there are many other landmark structures in the city that will lose out due to the Metro, say citizens’ groups adding that the city will lose it’s flexibility to face the future due to the Metro. The elevated Metro Rail project, which is the largest infrastructure project in the city’s history, will be a replica of the Delhi Metro and will cover 71.16 km above ground.

Citizen’s groups have labelled it “the undoing of the city” as the Hyderabad Metro Rail corridor will often run parallel to many heritage sites, including the majestic Assembly building. The entire project will be an elevated corridor along the central meridian of roads with two parallel tracks of rails and 66 stations. The elevated track will be at a height of 35 to 50 feet and at three places in the core city it will be as high as 60-70 feet due to existing flyovers.

HYDERABAD: TRS president K Chandrasekhar Raoon Friday warned against any damage to the 200-year-old heritage market of Sultan Bazar in the city by the metro rail.

KCR was speaking at a meeting organised by the traders of Sultan Bazar, who would be affected once the corridor of the metro rail comes up through the market. He demanded that metro rail tracks passing in the vicinity or through heritage buildings and areas should be made underground.

At the meeting, KCR questioned whether the metro rail was a transportation or a real estate project given the many acres of land that the government had given to the project developer, L&T. He also demanded that the detailed project report be made public and that an all-party meeting be convened to discuss the project.

Traders stated that the corridor from Kacheguda crossroads to Putli Bowli, via Badi Chowdi, Sultan Bazaar and Koti would destroy the heritage market.

The Sultan Bazar Parirakshana Samiti had organised a public meeting to air its protest against the construction of the proposed corridor. Traders said that the market was a busy stretch and the authorities should consider alternate routes or options such as an underground track as in theMumbai metro project for busy areas. Traders argued that scores of livelihoods were dependent on the market and the project would throw their lives out of gear.

As per the Concession Agreement between the Government of A.P. and L&T on September 4, 2010, within 60 days of payment of the PS, the government shall have handed over at least 90% of the Right of Way to the Site (i.e. 269 acres of land, ten properties of GHMC, and road widening to a minimum of 100 feet) and obtained permission from the railways for the metro to go over Secunderabad station.

The Government’s penalty to the L&T has crossed Rs. 11.5 crores by today (32 days @ 36 lakh per day from 5th May). A new penalty started from yesterday (91st day after the payment of Performance Security on 4th March) - Rs. 1000/- per day for every 500 sq.mts or part thereof of the land and the Right of Way that is yet to be handed over. This will also run into crores of rupees in the coming days.It is not going to be easy for the govt to fulfill some of the conditions like getting permission from railways for the Secunderabad station, road widening at many places where land acquisition notices have not been served yet etc.

It is scandalous that crores of rupees of public money will be doled out to L&T in this manner. The private company is benefited before making any investment. This metro rail project may become the CWG scam (Commonwealth Games) of Hyderabad. It may be recalled that because of similar agreements in the past, hundreds of crores of public money was paid to private power companies by the government.

The Hyderabad Metro Rail (HMR) authorities are announcing misleading figures about handing over of the lands but the official website does not provide any information on several important issues pertaining to this project.

Even ten months after making the agreement, the L&T is not disclosing to public the exact locations and designs of the stations, including the intersection points, and the extent of area required and the properties to be acquired for demolitions.

We appeal to the political parties to demand transparency in this project.